In this episode of Flow Radio, Steven Kotler and Dr. Michael Mannino sit down with Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, co-authors of Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us.

These groundbreaking experts explain how making and experiencing art changes the way we think, feel, and perform. From our ancient past to cutting-edge science, find out why art isn’t just beautiful—it’s fuel for your brain.

Learn how just 20 minutes of creative practice can boost your mental edge, unlock more flow, and supercharge problem-solving. Plus, discover how AI is revolutionizing art creation and opening new frontiers in human-machine creativity.

Tune in to unlock practical insights for tapping into your creative genius.

In This Episode:

00:03  The Intersection of Art, Brain, and Performance

02:11  How Susan and Ivy Became Pioneers in Their Fields

05:04  Bridging Art and Science

09:10  Why We're Wired for Art

14:22  Art as Medicine

22:52  Flow States and Creativity

30:57  Current Research

37:46  Daily Practices for Enhancing Creativity

43:24  AI and Art

48:22  Why Neuroesthetics Matters for Everyone

About The Guest:

Ivy Ross is the Vice President of Design for the Hardware organization at Google. Over  the past six years, she and her team have launched 50+ products winning over 240  global design awards. This collection of hardware established a new Google design  aesthetic that is tactile, colorful, and bold. 

A winner of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, Ivy’s innovative metal work in  jewelry is in the permanent collections of 12 international museums.  

Ivy has held executive positions ranging from head of product design and development  to CMO and presidencies of several companies, including Calvin Klein, Swatch, Coach,  Mattel, Bausch & Lomb, and Gap. 

Ninth on Fast Company’s list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business 2019, Ivy  believes the intersection of arts and science is where the most engaging and creative  ideas are found.  

Most recently, Ivy co-authored with Susan Magsamen Your Brain on Art: How the Arts  Transform Us. 

Susan Magsamen is the executive director of the International Arts + Mind Lab (IAM Lab), Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics, a pioneering neuroaesthetics initiative from the Pedersen Brain Science Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is the co-director of the NeuroArts Blueprint with the Aspen Institute and co-author of the New York Times Bestseller, Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. Susan studies how the arts and aesthetic experiences measurably change the brain, body, and behavior and how this knowledge can be translated to inform health, wellbeing and learning in medicine, public health and education.

Episode Resources:

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Flow Research Collective was founded by Steven Kotler, one of the world’s leading experts on human peak performance. He is an award-winning journalist and author with over ten bestselling books.